Kidneys are organs about the size of a fist and shaped like beans. They are located behind abdominal organs, with a kidney on either side of the spine. There are different types of kidney cancers, with the majority being renal cell carcinoma. Imaging methods like computerized tomography (CT) scans are used more frequently than others to detect kidney cancer. It’s important to detect kidney cancer early on in the disease process when the cancer has not spread beyond the kidney. Under certain circumstances, when a doctor fails to detect kidney cancer, it may be medical negligence. At DeFrancisco & Falgiatano, our experienced Syracuse medical malpractice attorneys may be able to represent you in a lawsuit for damages if you feel that you have been harmed due to this sort of omission.
Kidney CancerSigns and symptoms of kidney cancer include substantial fatigue, loss of appetite, a lump in your abdomen, blood in your urine, weight loss for no apparent reason, fever that continues for weeks and doesn’t trigger a cold or other infection, anemia, and extreme fatigue. Renal cancer occurs when kidney cells become malignant and grow rapidly and recklessly. They form tumors, with many of these appearing in the kidney lining. Most kidney cancers can be detected before they metastasize to further organs. Diagnostic tools that doctors sometimes use include urine tests, blood tests, ultrasounds, MRIs, and X-rays.
Certain facts increase your odds of kidney cancer including, your age being over 40, smoking, being obese, being male, using particular pain medications over a long period, certain genetic conditions, exposure to particular chemicals such as benzene or certain herbicides, being on long-term dialysis, possessing high blood pressure, and more. These factors should influence how your doctor evaluates your signs and symptoms.
If kidney cancer is caught early on, survival rates are as high as 92%. Sometimes a whole kidney needs surgical removal, and yet the patient can live a long, healthy life with only one working kidney.
Medical MalpracticeWhen kidney cancer is not detected in a timely manner, it can become more dangerous to a patient. The cancer may spread to other organs, and survival rates drop as cancer progresses. You may be able to hold a doctor liable for medical malpractice for failure to diagnose or properly treat kidney cancer. In other words, if a patient’s cancer goes without diagnosis or treatment due to a doctor’s failure to screen for it by ordering the right tests, the doctor can be held liable for the damages.
In order to establish medical malpractice, you will need to show: (1) a doctor-patient relationship, (2) breach of the professional duty of care, (3) causation, and (4) damages. Failure to diagnose cancer can harm a patient's prognosis. A breach of the professional duty of care may be constituted by a doctor misreading test results, failing to order a biopsy or other test, or misreading diagnostic test results from MRIs or X-rays. Plaintiffs’ attorneys in New York medical malpractice lawsuits need to file written certificates of merit with the lawsuit. These certificates need to indicate that the lawyer reviewed the facts of the case and consulted with at least one licensed doctor, and on that basis has determined that there is a reasonable basis to file a lawsuit or that the lawyer can’t comply with this requirement after three good faith efforts. It can take time to work up your case and comply with the certificate requirement, making it important to consult legal counsel as soon as possible once you realize you may have been a victim of medical malpractice.
Retain a Seasoned Medical Malpractice Lawyer in SyracuseOften kidney cancer symptoms mimic the symptoms of other illnesses. A doctor might diagnose benign tumors, cysts, and kidney infections rather than identify cancer. This may lead to a substantial delay in treating the kidney cancer, and this can result in the cancer spreading, which in turn decreases a patient’s quality of life and increases the likelihood of death. If your doctor failed to diagnose or properly treat your kidney cancer, you may be able to recover damages through a medical malpractice lawsuit. DeFrancisco & Falgiatano represents those harmed by medical negligence in Syracuse, Rochester, and throughout Upstate New York, including communities such as Ithaca, Cooperstown, Binghamton, Canandaigua, Lyons, Wampsville, Elmira, Auburn, Lowville, Herkimer, Oneida, Utica, Watertown, and Oswego. Call us at 833-200-2000 or contact us via our online form.